So I got really bored on the way back from LA.  Riding a bike can be really fun, but on long distances– you see the same thing over and over again– you try speeding up, slowing down, still, the same cars… like the Flintstones scenery.

 

So naturally, I start thinking about tough questions to ask myself and whatnot.  I came across this analogy:

I found myself trying to drive directly on a line / groove in the road for as long as I could.  Sometimes this line would trick me and I would have to shift my lane position to accommodate the change– sometimes the road would curve and I would be thrown off the trajectory of the line, and sometimes the line would disappear for a bit and I would be left completely oblivious as to where the line would return.

But the one thing I noticed is that I was looking at the wrong part of the line… I was only looking fractions of a second ahead to see where the line would be–  But in fact, I should be looking far into the distance.  If I had been looking at the destination of the line, I would see the line change along with the surroundings and abrupt changes… Even when the line disappears, I wouldn’t lose the direction of the line since I am looking past the broken part.

So applying this to my faith, sometimes I tend to get caught up with the facts, knowledge, learning, etc.  I love to live in the moment but sometimes I follow this moment too closely.  Don’t get me wrong, its important to know where you are at the moment, but we need to have our focus on the eternal offering.  Keeping your eyes looking far ahead at God will make sure that even when life gets tough and the direction is unclear (when the line disappears), you will still know where you are going.  Even when your mission changes abruptly with a job switch, death, or even a relocation, that you will be able to counter that change and still know where you are going.

While staying on the road analogy…

13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easyd that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989). Mt 7:13–14.

Consider how many lanes I could have been riding on, how many freeways I could have been on, how many exits I could have taken, but only one way would bring me home.   The road that will bring you home (Heaven) is narrow, and few will find it, but the options to do otherwise (Destruction) are copious in amounts…

This line analogy reminds me of the story of Jesus on the ocean–  The disciples were on the boat with Jesus (Mark 4).  They woke Jesus from his sleep while at see (during a storm).  They were frightened,  ”Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mk 4:38).

Let me pause there, the disciples asked Jesus if He cared…  What a loss of faith?!  But I can definitely relate to it.  I often wonder if Jesus cares, but then he displays his love and immediately I am like the disciples, “They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”  Mk 4:41.

In Matthew 14, when Jesus was walking on water, He asked Peter to come to him.  Peter left the boat just fine, he was looking at Jesus and walking on water! But then he started looking around him and got frightened!  Jesus immediately reach out and grabbed him.  Now this is exactly the analogy of the bike on the road following the line– If I had lost focus on the destination of the line, I would have been all over the road trying to find the line.  We lose that focus, but we have to remember that the line is going to disappear, but if we affix our eyes on the destination, then we will not lose direction.

What kind of love is that?!

 

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